Sports briefs 8/2/05

Baseball

• Gold Glove center fielder Torii Hunter has a broken left ankle that will keep him out at least a month and possibly the rest of the season, a major blow to Minnesota's playoff hopes.

Hunter had an MRI and CT scan Monday, which revealed a small fracture in his ankle. He was injured in Boston on Friday night, when the four-time Gold Glove winner tried to make an acrobatic catch by scaling the right-center fence at Fenway Park.

Hunter's 63 runs, 24 doubles, 56 RBIs and 23 steals are tops on the team. He's batting .269 with 14 homers.

* The Chicago White Sox released reliever Shingo Takatsu on Monday, one season after he finished second in AL Rookie of the Year balloting.

The 36-year-old Takatsu was designated for assignment by Chicago on July 18 and sent to Triple-A Charlotte on July 28. He was 1-2 with a 5.97 ERA and eight saves in 31 appearances with the White Sox this season.

Takatsu, Japan's career saves leader, was 6-4 with 19 saves last season for Chicago. He was runner-up to Oakland shortstop Bobby Crosby for the AL Rookie of the Year award.

* Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Joe Garagiola Jr. resigned Monday to become senior vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner's office.

Garagiola joined the Diamondbacks in 1995 and helped build the expansion team from scratch before it began play in '98. He led Arizona to a World Series championship in 2001 and three NL West titles, though the club went 51-111 last year, one of the worst seasons in NL history.

Garagiola will start his new job on Aug. 15, overseeing operations for the major and minor leagues, as well as international baseball.

* The Seattle Mariners released struggling pitcher Aaron Sele on Monday and recalled right-hander Jorge Campillo from Triple-A Tacoma.

Sele, 35, was 6-12 with a 5.66 ERA in 21 starts this season. He lost a career-worst seven straight starts after going 6-5 through June 25.

Football

* Terrell Owens reported to training camp Monday, ending months of speculation about whether the disgruntled All-Pro receiver would hold out because of a contract dispute with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Owens, wearing a camouflage shirt and cap, refused to speak to reporters, and walked away bobbing his head to the music on his headphones. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, accompanied Owens and said he will meet with Eagles coach Andy Reid and president Joe Banner on Tuesday to discuss his client's contract.

Owens skipped minicamps and, along with Rosenhaus, was very vocal about wanting a new contract one season into the seven-year, $48.97 million deal he signed after coming to Philadelphia in March 2004.

Hockey

* Former Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Randy Carlyle was selected Monday as the new Anaheim Mighty Ducks coach, completing the makeover of a team that also has changed owners and general manager this year.

Carlyle, 49, replaces Mike Babcock, who left the Ducks to become the Detroit Red Wings' coach.

He spent last season as coach of the Manitoba Moose of the AHL after serving as an assistant with the NHL's Washington Capitals. He also has been on the staff of the Winnipeg Jets.

* Right wing Aaron Downey, an unrestricted free agent, signed a one-year contract with the St. Louis Blues on Monday.

The 30-year-old forward played the previous two seasons with the Dallas Stars and had a career-high 77 penalty minutes in 37 games in 2003-04. In 120 career games with Boston, Chicago and Dallas, Downey has 228 penalty minutes. He led the AHL in penalty minutes in 1997-98 and 1998-99.

"He brings a high-energy, physical style of play to our team," general manager Larry Pleau said. "Aaron finishes his checks and immediately will inject enthusiasm into our lineup."